The Beginning
by CharmedDangerous
Summary: Leo's sister, lost since he went away to war. Her story. ok, i spellt the title wrong, one 'G' in beginning, how come no one mentioned that? lol...chapter three uploaded. R&R!
1. Default Chapter

Silent Laughter.  
  
I stared at Leo in disbelief. "Your what?" I breathed, shocked and trying to ignore the small voice from inside. I told you so it screamed.  
  
"Look," he said with determination, "I know you don't want me too but I can help so many if I go. I want to make a difference here. This is the only way I do it."  
  
Leo was stubborn, and my parents were weak. He would get his way, and go to the war. Then I would have no one. Turning, I ran from the room. And out the door. Running down the street, I ignored the people I bumped into and winced as I heard the whiny voice of the schoolteacher curse at me;  
  
"You are a troublemaker, mark my words," she shouted in exasperation as I turned to apologise. "You will never amount to anything!" With her cruel and likely truthful words ringing in my head I was off again, sprinting recklessly, trying to outrun my own thoughts.  
  
I stopped suddenly and though I hadn't paid any attention to my desperate steps I didn't need to look up to know where I was. I walked up the steps to Jason's front porch and I listened to dully to the screaming and shouting from inside.  
  
It was another party. Stupid of him, with the Watchers so close, but he had never been careful. As I avoided the worn steps which would wiggle and twist underfoot, I looked at the yard with a grim smile. It reflected Jason's life style and him as well. It was overgrown and messy, it had a relaxed look to it, having come from years of no care and the only things which grew in it were weeds, bad things. A bad seed.  
  
I grinned at my mothers term for Jason, as I stepped into the threshold. The house may have been worn down on the outside but it was expertly cared for on the inside. Jason's mother had instilled the desire for order when he was small. His mother had instilled many other tendencies in Jason as well.  
  
The door had been open but that was the most inviting thing about the oversized, over cleaned house. Inside Jason's party was just beginning , though it was very late. Seeing me, a Crustacean demon roared and scuttled over, Where have you been all my life lovely?" He asked in a sleazy voice. I smiled innocently and leaned over to the creature whose head was only a foot from the floor.  
  
"If you could get up the stairs, you fat assed, slimly creep, I would fuck you in a second. I'm sure that's how long it would take you to reach your end anyway." I kept my falsely bright smile on as I continued past the shocked and angered demon. He was really only an oversized crab. And his powers were laughable.  
  
Squeezing past the guests I kept my back to the rejected demon and prayed he would respond to my onslaught of insults, by this time the rest of party had recognized me and were parting for me. Realizing the crustacean did not have the courage to stand up to what he must have viewed as an unknown demon, I whirled on the next nearest person\demon. Ferleep fell over in fear as I closed in on him.  
  
"Puh -please," he mumbled softly, "duh-don't." I gave him a malicious grin, cricking my neck as I felt the familiar power wash through me. Why the hell had I ever given this up?  
  
"Been after those little girls again have you Ferleep?" I asked knowingly. Remember what I said I would have to do if I caught you doing that? At this point the fear was just too much for the poor little slime ball and he made a run for it. With a whispered word he fell like a sack of potatoes mid stride. The crowd gasped in horror and edged farther away from me. I was in my element again. Turning with vicious intent to the murmuring rabble, I bumped right into Jason.  
  
"Come with me," he ordered and, taking my hand, he swiftly lead me out of the crowd. Hearing the mass sigh in relief I couldn't help turning back one last time and reaching out my hand to cast a spell. I laughed at their cowardly retreat. Some even ran from the house.  
  
"What were you thinking?" Demanded Jason as he dragged me into a darker room and slammed the door. "You-we agreed you would not come back here!"  
  
"Yah I was thinking about that," I replied softly, wrapping my arms around his neck and looking up at him through half closed eyes. "I want to come back." Before he could protest I was kissing him passionately. The irony of my actions was not lost on me; this was the exact way he had pulled me into this world in the first place. To my surprise, after a minute, he pushed me away.  
  
"We have company," he muttered. I turned, alert, to find the room empty, waving an irritated hand I saw three figures appear before me. I intook breath sharply, he was here flanked by two others.  
  
"Ahh, my dear, your power had grown," came his voice, like a black panther, beautiful and dangerous, oh so dangerous. "My minions were forced to appear with your small gesture, your majik is too strong for them. I of course just choose to look upon your beautiful face." I feigned boredom, while hiding shaking hands behind my back. Slouching, as I looked casually back at him. Not trusting a voice that was sure to be shaky, I tried to look like I simply did not deign to answer this.  
  
Still acting, I perked up as I felt something in the corner of the room. "Come out why don't you?" I asked in as dangerous a voice as I could muster, "don't you know its wrong to eavesdrop?" Balthezar's image shimmered then appeared more solidly in front of me.  
  
"Do not taunt those who may destroy you on a whim," snarled he, striding up to me and looking down dangerously into my eyes. I laughed away his warning.  
  
"Do not let your eyes deceive you small one," said the one whose face dominated my nightmares, "this one has power. More then you or indeed your small plaything over there." I turned in surprise, I had nearly forgotten Jason's presence. He was bristling.  
  
"Plaything?" he roared, "I will show you what there is to fear!" Calmly Balthezar strode over and pulled back Jason from attacking his smirking face. Unable to help myself I stepped behind the demon.  
  
"Cole?" I asked Balthezar in a soft voice, using his human name for emphasis. His answer made my skin crawl, and my blood turned cold with fear as he replied just as urgently,  
  
"Run, run fast, for he means to make you his tonight." Unfortunately for all present he has very good hearing. As I turned to run out the door, my former swagger gone he appeared in front of me. There was a scream, and it was a moment before I knew the screamer was me. The sound of my own fear had become foreign to me. In an instant both Cole and Jason were in between me and Him but they were of no consequence. Cole liked me I knew, enough to try his best to save my life and Jason would fight until he died, but neither of them would do a thing to harm this creature.  
  
If it happened to be my last act, I did not want what I did now be to let two of my friends die. Rueing the day I met him, I pushed past my two would be defenders and faced him with as much bravery as is possible to have when facing your own eternal torture.  
  
"Ah, most excellent!" he cried in delight, "I knew you would come around my darling. You are ever so predictable. But perhaps we should kill these two any way? What think you?" Not wasting a second, Jason shoved past Cole and dove at him. With a laugh he held up a hand to deflect Jason's attack.  
  
"Silly child," he breathed, "did you think I would not get her in the end?" With a hand he reached out to kill Jason, but hesitated as I held my breath. My fear was taking over my thinking now, and a million different plans entered my head, before I was forced to dismiss each, for they all boiled down to running away and wherever I went he would find me.  
  
"No I think that you must live out this pain." He was talking to Jason, going to spare his life! "The knowledge that I will have her for all of time and it. Was. All. Your. Fault. This should be more pain then any of my tortures." With a terrible laugh he grabbed me and we left. It was unlike blinking, or orbing as the wretched white lighters were wont to do. It was nothing similar to shimmering or flashing, we were simply in one place one time and not there the next.  
  
As the world came back into focus I blinked and let my eyes adjust to the dark, I stood on what seemed to be a podium and beneath there were rows upon rows of slaves toiling, wearily with what seemed to by pick and axes. This was my horrifying future? Slave labour? Looking closer I saw men and demons walking up and down the rows with whips and long pieces of metal. Suddenly one of the crouched over slaves stood bolt up.  
  
"I found one," he cried with happiness, "I got one I'm free." Immediately chaos broke out as everyone on the floor scrambled for the piece. One of the guards lifted his bar of metal and a shock went through all the chains which were wrapped around the captives arms and necks. Each of them stopped chasing the man who still grasped a piece of something in his hand.  
  
I watched in grim fascination, almost forgetting about my present company, as I leaned farther trying to see what would happen next, needing to know what the fate of the man would be. But I was pulled back by a strong arm and I looked up into the face of horror. I was going to adjust myself to this new fate with a grim determination and be able to handle it. At least that was what I was trying to tell myself. In reality, my body shook with horror and fear. I twisted out of his grasp, and stared up malevolently at my captor. Suddenly there was a shimmer in the air behind me and Cole appeared. My captor let out a roar.  
  
"You fool!" He crowed, with anger in his voice, "do not throw away your life, if I wish it you may yet live, despite your... shall we say, questionable behaviour." He had regained his composure but was now glowering at Cole. To his credit Cole, did not quail under his glare but replied calmly,  
  
"Do not under estimate me, you told the child yourself to fear me, you should learn to heed your own advice." This time he did not loose his smile for a minute. Cole had surprised him at first, but as a rule he never showed a face that was not this smile, this never ending cruel and false brightness. I shuddered involuntarily. Immediately he turned and gave a look of feigned worry,  
  
"Oh, but my poor one is cold," he said and turned his back completely to Cole. With a wave of his perfectly sculptured hand I was wearing a cloak. For some reason this enraged Cole and he jumped at the demon I was to spend the rest of my life with. Actually I realized suddenly, the thought of what awaited me in eternity did not scare me anymore. In fact it was a slightly pleasant idea, who wouldn't want to live in such luxury as I was surely going to?  
  
As if there were things that could be that bad! Now fear seemed to be only distant memory. So distant I was beginning to wonder if I had made up the whole thing. Certainly I always lived in this place? Without warning something stirred in my heart. I ignored the feeling for it spoke of pain. Pain was a thing such as fear, simply a creature of my imagination. It came to me that I was now fully happy. But not at all cold. So I threw off the cloak.  
  
Suddenly I was drawn out of my thoughts by a cry of pain. Cole was writhing on the ground, next to him and there was a smile on his face. A genuine smile of pure pleasure. I snapped out of my joyous thoughts at once as I realized two things. One, that I had been wearing the cloak of Aaenippah and Two; that Cole was under the influence of the Agony spell.  
  
Not having any magik which came in the realm of what he could do, I ignored the sinking feeling which attacked my senses as I realized, everything was not ok and this was still very bad. Then I jumped on his back. He had apparently not been expecting so physical an attack for it surprised him into losing his concentration and Cole was let go. With the last of his strength Cole looked at me grimly and shimmered out, a promise of return on his lips.  
  
With a cry of fury he flung me into the wall. I stood up quickly and squared my shoulders for a fight. I would not spend my life in his service, I would fight him now and die trying. This gave me new hope, until I looked into his eyes. He was laughing at me. His mouth and face were impassionate but he was gaffawing at me in his eyes.  
  
He would not fight me, I wouldn't die. Maybe not ever. Suddenly the sinking feeling from before was back. He had me. I would never see, my parents, Jason or Leo- until then I had forgotten about Leo. The pain of his fate overwhelmed me and I crumpled unable to deal with all that had been forced unto me. Sobbing, I screamed my hate out at him. But he still stood there laughing, without making a sound.  
  
A/N; Reviews are always appreciated but I can't fix it if you don't send to the flamers. 'Sides they are so much fun to read! 


	2. six months later

Six months later  
  
The chink of metal on rock was I could hear. Chained to a stone, which had yielded nothing for months I could feel my hands shaking and sweat dripping down my forehead and arms. But of course I daren't stop. For then the Guards would come. I flexed my back where yesterdays whippings had not yet begun to heal and continued on. Beside me, one young newcomer had abandoned his pick and was working furiously with his hands to free something from the stone.   
  
I sighed as I looked at him, he had found nothing of course, few ever did but his face was so gleeful and concentrated that I felt sympathy towards him. For picking up a Fake the Guards would whip him most assuredly. He had gotten it free, I almost laughed, it wasn't a fake after all but simply a piece of the rock. One which had formed an ore inside of the first.   
  
The new recruit beside me, myself and every other of the thousand or so slaves here were looking for the same thing. A rare black stone used in dark majik. A millenia ago it had been banished and sent into the deepest part of the underworld, with spells on it as none alive today could begin to unravel.   
  
No majik may touch this stone, for its power is too great and the consequences too terrible. It was a mantra between the Guards, meant to taunt us. Of course you had to have a little majik to be alive down here but as long as we kept our gloves on and no one used majik to get at the stones, we didn't provoke the spell set on it long ago.   
  
In frustration the boy beside me sunk to the ground and ignored his neighbours warnings to rise again, the Guards were coming. Instantly I bent down beside him, yanked him up and thrust the pick into his hands. When the guards reached our spot they blinked, confused and carried on. Guards were demons and men who had undergone some kind of torture and now they were much stronger and easier to control then their brethren up above. As they left, the boy shook me off angrily,   
  
"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded, though he shouted his voice was barely a whisper when it reached me, two feet away.   
  
"My name is Cora," I replied cheerfully, lying, turning back to my work.  
  
"Well, I don't need your or anyone's help." he cried. "I'm going to escape you know," he told me confidentially, after a moment of silence. I tried not to laugh.   
  
"There is no escape," I told him drily. "Only endless torture," when I turned back to him, his face was bleak and I felt sorry for him. "It's not so bad," I put in, which was just about the biggest lie I could have told him. But my reassurances seemed to cheer him up. At least he stood up and began working again.  
  
What's your name," I asked as we worked.  
  
"Jeffrey," he replied without taking his eyes from the rocks before him.   
  
"Look," I paused, "just stick by me and you will be fine, ok?" I couldn't believe the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. I did not care about anything or anyone. Ever. Especially down here. To my surprise, though, he laughed off my words.   
  
"How will you help me?" he asked incredulously. I looked down. I had forgotten, I didn't look very reliable. I looked older then I was, he might have thought me sixteen and in truth I was older then my thirteen years in spirit and maturity. I had always used my age as a tool but now I realized this young face was the only one I would ever wear. You did not age in the Pit. I remained silent for the rest of the day.   
  
"If you ever need me," I whispered in his ear as we were leaving the rows to go to our cots, you know where to find me.  
  
The next day he made sure to work alongside me again, without speaking of escape we simply talked, he told me how he had fallen in love with a girl who had turned out to be engaged, her fiancèe had brought him down here when he had walked in on them in bed.   
  
A week later, and I was noticing an improvement in him. His eyes looked healthier, and when I had brought up politics he had actually argued against my beliefs.   
  
"Control over society is good," he protested, "it keeps a rein on the Rebels." I hid a smile and didn't tell him, I had been one of the Rebels, which was mortal term for demons and powerful warlocks. It felt good to have done something good. Even if the only thing I did was make his last days bearable. On the night of the seventh day I left the horde as usual and climbed into my solitary bunk. I closed my eyes and fell instantly asleep. I should have had five glorious hours to sleep, but after only two I was awakened. Jeffrey was shaking my shoulder, with a bright and nervous look in his eyes.   
  
"Tonight we are going to escape," he said happily. I could finally see what he must have looked like before he had brought to this hellpit, a young man lightly dabbling in the arts, maybe going to become powerful one day. Now he was a shell of the person he used to be. If I could remember correctly and I was not at all sure that I could, he had been here for about three weeks. It was enough to give his eyes a sunken look. Despite myself I felt my hopes rise,   
  
"How," I asked--it had been so long since I had dared to think I could escape.   
"I have been keeping track of the Guards. I know when they change shifts. At midnight the guards in training come out, the ones fresh from the.." he faltered here because he, like I, did not know where Guards had come from. Undeterred, he continued, "we have to make a run for it in exactly five minutes. Can you do it?" It was a challenge.   
  
"Yes," I replied without thinking, though I no longer felt any hope. This was a plan I had tried before and I knew it would only result in a whipping. But if it helped him realized there was no escape….Unless someone comes for you, whispered a voice in the back of my head. I still kept up a small hope in the back of my head that Cole would come. I tried to squashed the thought but it stayed in the back of my head and would not leave. I stood up silently and grasped his hand. He pulled me threw the small door and counted softly.  
  
"Five four three two, one," suddenly he pulled me into the open pit and shoved me on the ground. Crawling quickly, Jeffrey lead me towards the Edge. Beyond the rows where I had stood and worked all day, for the past months there was a ledge. It dropped off suddenly and into nothing; I couldn't see its bottom. On the other side was the entrance to the hall, it split off into several different paths. I didn't even know how to get out from there.   
  
"Ok," he said slowly. "On the count of three, we are going to run, see there is the Guard changing right now. Go!" he cried in my ear, and we both stood up suddenly and ran. I reached the Edge first, and turned to him waiting to see how he had decided to get over it. Instead of hesitating he kept going and pulled me into the cavern with him.  
  
As we dropped he shouted a few imperceptible words and I felt suddenly weightless. Original, I thought cautiously, as we drifted down into the darkness. I felt no fear, for the certain death that hung in the air was welcomed. By me, at least. Beside me Jeffrey was going estatic.   
  
"We made it!" He whooped, fully sure the Guards would not hear him. Of course he didn't reckon on them being both above and below us. Apparently this hole was not as far a drop as it looked. We landed right on top of a Guard squad.   
  
After that whipping, Jeffrey was taken away, and He came to see me.   
  
"Not right for you to play with people such as that. You might get ideas, you know," he was smiled then, as condescending as could be and I snapped. I flew at him and it was only his good mood which saved me. He silently left and I went crashing into the wall.   
  
The next day they sent in a new batch of majiks, I instantly went up to the youngest and most scared looking kid I could find.   
"My name is Cora." 


	3. Coles Return

Four years and six months later.  
  
I lifted my head wearily as I heard footsteps. I had learned to be wary of footsteps, often it meant someone was looking for a person to kick and I was always a good candidate. I crawled the two feet from my bed to the next and woke up Ginger.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked. I shook my head, to quiet her and grasping her arm, I cast out a spell of invisibility around the both of us. It wasn't very strong. My magik was too weakened for that, but if the guard was not looking for us he would not see us. I held my breath as he came around the corner and all of the sudden let it out in a whoosh. It was Cole. I hadn't seen him in five years not since.before. I let go of the spell immediately and jumped up, when he saw me he turned and strode over.  
  
At first I hadn't wanted Cole to come back, I didn't need his help, I had thought, but that feeling had soon worn away. Lately, besides, my mission kids, the thought that Cole would come back was all that kept me going. Lately was roughly 4 and a half years. Before he could say anything I jumped into his arms and gripped him as tightly as I could, letting silent tears flow down my face.  
  
Cole had guided me when I first started the craft, he was lower in hierarchy of demons but he was rising quickly, we had never been actually close. In a personal way, at least, because he had always kept me back, but I was just so happy to see a familiar face.  
  
I hit my head against the ceiling when I jumped for the height of it was less then Cole's considerable stature. There were only two beds in this room. And there were only supposed to be one. He had given it to me at the beginning, to show his favour and it had irritated some of the others. But I thanked every goddess I knew that I had it now for we could escape in secret. Without any jealous slaves to call the Guards.  
  
Momentarily, I noticed Cole was not hugging me back. I slid down and for the first time in half a decade I felt a little foolish. Before, I had not been the type of person who gave hugs. I revelled in the feeling, any feelings that weren't involved with pain I considered rare and worthwhile. Finally I looked at his eyes waiting for the Cole I knew to come out in them. But all I saw was emotionless blackness.  
  
Uncertainly, I took a step away and in so doing pulled up Ginger. I was not going to leave without her. As my latest mission kid, I made sure she lasted the first month before leaving on her own and making sure that others did not harm her. She was younger then most, maybe 3 years my senior and had not been doing very well, I hadn't thought she would make it at the end of the month when my new kid came in and I had to let her go.  
  
But now she would, because Cole had found a way to get me out. I turned from Ginger back to Cole and stopped dead. His eyes were now not the only thing emotionless, so too was his face, it mocked me, there was no hint of his usual dry humour and I couldn't understand why, until he lifted his hand and hit me. I felt all my hopes drain with that hit and it was indeed the worst, but not by any means the only.  
  
Cole left just as suddenly as he came when the bell for waking sounded.  
  
A/N; dont worry this is not a cole bashing fic. just keep watchin- erm...reading. 


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